gh :confused:

I was terminated about a month ago from a finance company because i was ill and called in late to confirm i needed the day off. Well without warning the next time i was scheduled to come in for work my boss fired me. I guess she was upset because what i had done. I immediately began looking for a new job but NO employers will hire me! I'm going into debt because of this! I have no income and my bills are piling up! I know it will be worse on me if i cant pay my bills! I lied a few times about being fired on applications but i look at it like this "your damned if you do and damned if you dont". I came to the conclusion that i cant and wont lie about being terminated on my apps anymore. BUT! i feel like I'm on the blacklist when it comes to getting hired. Employers wont even call me back for an interview! I know its because they do background checks and find out my terminology and see that i got fired from a previous job. What can i do!? i need help !

Well, first of all, lying on the application is a mistake, which you appear to have realized.

Secondly, why do you think that your ex-employer is responsible for you not being able to find another job?

And no, 99.99999999% of employers don't do background checks on people they don't even interview. Background checks cost money and the company isn't going to spend money doing a check on an individual they haven't even interviewed yet. Neither are they going to check references if they haven't interviewed you. Why should they waste the time and money on either if they haven't even met you? Besides, being "fired" isn't the kiss of death and I'm not even sure that the reason for a termination would BE on a background check, especially if the discharge was recent.

Have you had a professional review your resume? Are you applying for posted positions? Are you working with a recruiting agency/headhunter? Are you applying for jobs for which you are under-qualified or grossly over-qualified? What about jobs posted with the state Unemployment agency? Do you belong to a professional association with a job board? Are you networking with others in your area/industry?

Although it will not equal your salary, have you filed for unemployment?

A month is not that lonmg to be looking for a job. Honestly, I'd be surprised if within a month you were able to secure a position in your field. It usually just takes longer than that to find a position that is a good fit. Heck the hiring process at most places takes longer than a month. Unless you are talking about very entry level jobs or high turn over industries like fast food or retail, it is going to take some time.

To improve your chances, be completely honest on the applications. Lying pretty much guarantees you won't be hired. No one wants a candidate that is dishonest from the start. It is far better to give the real reason and explain what you learned from it in the interview. For example, explaining that you were sick and called in late, but have learned from this and won't make that mistake again if at all avoidable. Employers and recruiters are human and realize that people make mistakes. Those that accept responsibility for them and learn from them are much easier to accept than those who try to cover it up or blame others.

I agree that working with a headhunter or employment agency isn't a bad idea. They can help smooth the way with potential employers and can assist with resume preparation and interview tips.

I agree with the above; despite what so many people appear to think it is about 100% certain that if you are not being called for interviews it does not have anything whatsoever to do with a background check. Employers simply cannot afford to do background checks on employees they haven't interviewed. It costs time and money and no one has enough of that to spare, to do background checks on people they haven't interviewed. They won't do them even on most of the people they do interview; only their top candidates.

This is not the sort of "crime" that is likely to be a job-killer. I understand how frustrating it is but many employers take a month or more just to decide who they are going to interview. You're getting this way out of proportion.

I echo rjc's question; did you file for unemployment? If not, why not?

No, i havent... but i'm gonna start looking into it. i just figured i would get another job right away so i didnt bother. staffing centers dont have any openings out here, i'd be stuck making 6 bucks an hour at some factory for a day (no way). I guess i'm gonna file for umemployment for now...